Run To The Coast II

A Weekend of High-Performance Glory!

There’s something to be said for grassroots types of events; you know the kind where there’s little cause for worrying. Instead you’re there to hang with your peers, packing minimal tools, and buckled up behind the wheel for a spirited thrill ride. There isn’t big money involved for winning; instead the winner earns a small trophy and the prestige of being the champ. That, my friend, is what Run to the Coast (RTTC) is all about.

2/29

This year marked the second running of RTTC at the former El Toro Marine Base in Irvine, California. The biggest difference over last year’s event is that instead of having one full day of fun, we had an entire weekend. Friday involved a 100-plus mile cruise, which ran up the coast along some of the more glamorous beach cities and then headed inland toward Ontario, where we checked in at Spectre Performance for lunch and an open chassis dyno session. For the next stop, the entire band of street machines headed to K1 Speed for a little indoor go-kart action, and before the day was over, everyone battled SoCal’s rain-beat freeways for one more stop. This time to Total Cost Involved for a shop tour and a barbecue feast that was second to none.

For the next two days, close to 74 cars took part in the Baer Brakes Speed Stop Challenge, Carbon Kustoms Autocross, and Detroit Speed Road Course. The format was simple; everyone was placed in a run group and sent to their designated areas. Once completed, they moved onto the next portion of the event. And the number-one rule imposed: no passing on the road course.

The only downside, depending on how you looked at it, was Saturday’s downpour. While it was a little slippery, it didn’t prevent anyone from getting seat time. Sunday proved to be a whole new day with incredibly clear skies and sunshine; albeit it was still chilly, but nonetheless much nicer. With the improved weather, Sunday’s format was changed slightly, opening up the morning road course session as timed practice laps. This was to help everyone get a bit more familiar with the course, and the RTTC crew reestablished its timers for the afternoon session. Also, all competitors were allowed to run through any portion of the event again to better their times, as long as it was handled in the allotted time.

As we mentioned earlier, there isn’t big money involved here for the winners; however, that doesn’t mean there weren’t great prizes involved. The overall winner, which we’ll disclose in the following pages, earned a trophy and a ticket to compete at the annual Optima Street Car Challenge in Pahrump, Nevada, which is slated after the SEMA show. Other prizes included a set of wheels from Driverz, a choice of tires from BFGoodrich, and a host of other goodies.

At the end of the weekend, everyone had fun, and we all walked away with a smile. Of course, the people in the background are often overlooked, so we want to acknowledge the true heroes of this event. Many thanks go to coordinators Bill Howell, Yancy Johns, and Danny Thomas. These guys are no strangers to these types of events and have already added additional venues for Pigeon Forge and Nashville Speedway in Tennessee, including a Run to the Shore in New Jersey. For more information, head over to Pro-Touring.com and check out the Racing Events and Performance section.

MORE PHOTOS

Erich Monteith, of Newbury Park, California, showed everyone that his ’66 El Camino does in fact haul. It also gave us an incentive to get our El Camino up to speed.

Long Beach resident Jon Rasmussen brought out his wide-tired ’72 Nova, featuring a monster set of 315R35-17s on all four corners. We hear he’s already in the process of fitting the fender flares and upgrading to C5 brakes.

Carl Casanova is the proud of owner of this ’68 Camaro. Underneath the hood is a factory LS1 with a MagnaCharger supercharger. For cornering, it’s been completely outfitted with Hotchkis’ line of suspension from front to back.

The Baer Brakes Speed Stop Challenge was exactly that: a challenge. Drivers had 1,000 feet to accelerate, 300 feet to slow down, and an additional 10 feet to stop within the designated area. The key was to keep an eye on the three cones representing 100 feet each and apply the brakes accordingly. Some timed it perfectly, some fell short, while others smoked their way past the stop box altogether.

Rob Chandler’s ’68 first-gen Camaro is absolutely stunning, and you can expect to see a full feature with all the details in an upcoming issue. For now, we’ll just say that it’s powered by a small-block 350, has a Tremec six-speed, and a complete DSE setup.

Kyle Tucker from DSE had a great showing, finishing Second on the autocross with 37.206, along with a Second Place finish at the Speed Stop Challenge with an 11.561, and a Fourth Place finish on the road course with a 1:04.9.

Hail to the king! Brian Finch made the long trek from Tennessee and was officially crowned a two-peat for his efforts. Finch won an unbelievable number of events last year, even winning our Chevy High Car of the Year award. It should be pretty obvious by now that he’s a proven driver with a solid machine and definitely a tough competitor to beat.

DSE’s Ryan Matthews piloted Stacy Tucker’s ’69 Camaro to a blistering 1:02.8 through the road course, giving him the First Place win in that portion of the event.

Paul Setter brought out his eye-catching ’69. Setter’s personal best was a 1.21.0 on the road course.

Canadian resident James Shipka was out in full force with his familiar “One Lap Camaro” and sharing driving duties with Mary Pozzi. Shipka plans on participating at the 2011 One Lap of America race with the Pozzis again, only this year with Mary. Good luck, we’ll be watching!

Mike Wright was caught in action, running 42.721 in the autocross.

If you want to talk about impressive that had to be Mike Foglesong with his LS-powered ’67 Camaro; Tom ran a 1.09.0 on the road course and 41.752 on the autocross.

CHP regular Doug Renner was out and about pushing his ’69 to the limits. Renner ran through the autocross with a 41.636 and ran a stellar 1.12.4 on the road course.

David Gordon (and his ’68 Camaro) was a newcomer to this year’s RTTC event. He made the 1,000-mile trip (each way) with no truck or trailer and ran incredibly well for his first outing. He managed to navigate through the autocross with a 38.834, a 1.08.8 on the road course, and 12.291 at the speed stop.

Speed Tech’s ’72 Nova was literally flying around the track. Check out the air Robert McGaffin caught as Jay Weir was ripping around the big sweeper! Weir ran 1.03.3 in the road course, 38.210 on the autocross, and 11.996 at the speed stop.

Newman Car Creations’ ’55 Chevy is flat-out awesome. Underneath the body is a C4 chassis with a LS powerplant and a six-speed. During our cruise we had a chance to follow Kyle, and it was an absolute ball to see their Tri-Five on the streets and on the track. Kyle made it to the top three in the speed stop with an 11.785, a 38.778 in the autocross, and a 1:07.0 on the road course. This is another gem we’re planning to feature, so expect the full disclosure soon.

Brian Hobaugh was a serious contender on the road course and an absolute terror on the autocross. Powering the ’65 Corvette is a 350ci small-block with a close ratio M21 transmission. Hobaugh took the autocross win with a mind-numbing 37 flat.

Our own John Barkley came out for a little fun with his son’s ’72 Camaro. This is an old-school CHP build from the late ’90s and we’re talking about a completely homebuilt ride; the most recent change being the 495hp 383ci small-block we built several months ago. And believe us, if anyone’s caught the corner-carving bug, it’s him. He’s a former drag racer with a NHRA Wally to his credit.

David Pozzi and Camaro Performers Tech Editor Steven Rupp shared driving duties with Rupp’s ’68 Camaro. Pozzi ran a 38.313 in the autocross and a 1.07.2 through the road course. With Rupp behind the wheel, he ran a 12.352 in the speed stop, a 39.811 in the autocross, and a 1.13.8 on the road course.

Larry Callahan, founder of Pro-Touring.com, brought out his twin-turbo packing ’68. His efforts netted him with a 1.23.8 on the road course, 40.732 on the autocross, and a 12.224 at the speed stop.

Cruising up Pacific Coast Highway with dozens of street machines was a sight to see. Most of the general onlookers looked a bit bewildered, but beyond that the cruise was clean, easy paced, and everyone made it with minimal issues.

Due to the weather forecast, the RTTC crew was able to plan ahead and gain access to one of the hangers for shelter, which worked out well for the early morning tech inspections. Teching in the cars went smoothly and each ride was checked for proper safety equipment, correct treadwear, and making sure the batteries were secured in place.

Spectre Performance opened their facility for everyone and hosted Friday’s lunch and the go-kart racing; leading the group in this photo is Yancy Johns.

Karl Stuber and his ’68 Malibu returned for the second year in a row. In what seemed like a sea of Camaros, Stuber represented the A-bodies, running 43.789 in the autocross and 1.14.7 on the road course.

Deanna Marengo represented the second-gen crowd with her Hotchkis TVS–equipped ’71. Marengo ran an impressive 39.283 on the autocross and impressed us at the Speed Stop Challenge with an 11.932.